Drifting
by Baxter54132
Summary: "Chika didn't tell you huh?" You turns so she can lean against the dock building, "She texted me this morning that she won't be able to make it." You crosses her arms and pushes her lips into a small smile. "It's worth waiting a bit right? To see if a few more people show up." YouRiko One-shot


I know nothing about boats so I'm sorry in advance.

Credit to flip for coming up with most of this idea.

This takes place after Omoi Yo Hitotsu Ni Nari but before Mirai Ticket.

* * *

"I'm taking her out for a spin on Saturday. You guys should come check it out!" You throws the invitation out with a sly smile. "She's a real beauty."

Since Aqours practice has finished for the day, the members are currently gathering their belongings as they prepare to head home. Mari is the first to finish, and she smirks at You as she passes by. "I'm sure she is."

You responds with a resounding "Yousoro! I'll see you tomorrow then!" She raises her arm to form her favorite salute, though the only response she gets is a high pitched giggle as the third year skips into the school.

Everyone agrees to go, all except for one person. She's still kneeling on the ground, pretending to rummage through her school bag. If only she didn't zone out and then only catch the second half of conversations, life would be so much better.

"Riko?" A concerned voice cuts through her regrets. "Are you okay?" She hears shuffling as the girl kneels beside her, "Did you lose something?"

Riko doesn't need to look up, "Chika… who's a beauty?" A second passes without response. Riko waits one more moment, then glances up out of concern. Chika's eyebrows are scrunched together with her eyes squeezed tightly shut. "Chika?"

Chika's eyes spring open, "Oh sorry! Is that a riddle?" Chika giggles lightly, "Sorry, I don't know the answer." Chika rises to her feet with a childlike hop. "Lemme go ask You, I bet she'll know!"

"Wait…" Riko barely gets one word out before Chika bounds away. She chitters in You's ear for a few moments and for half of a second You seems confused. Suddenly, her eyes light up in understanding and she glances towards Riko. Her expression of pure mirth brings heat to Riko's face, and it only worsens when the light-hearted sailor breaks out in laughter.

Riko wishes she could travel back in time like in one of her favorite doujins, but unfortunately those aren't real. She finally stands up in anticipation of the impending conversation. Chika and You cross the roof to meet her, though You can still barely control her laughter. She lets out a few loose chuckles, and then takes a deep breath. "So I heard you asked about my beauty?" She's still grinning from ear to ear.

You continues without waiting for a response, "It's my boat, silly!"

"Oh." The revelation isn't as exciting as what Riko was expecting, but she feels a pang of relief nonetheless. It's not like Riko doesn't want You to make friends outside of Aqours or anything like that, but she's not disappointed that it'll stay the nine of them. "I'm sure your boat is very nice."

You nods eagerly, "You bet it is! You'll come see it right? On Saturday?"

"Sure."

* * *

Riko shows up punctually at 10:00 AM, which is easy since the dock You is renting is right down the street from her house. The wooden dock has a few boats tied down to it, but she doesn't see any of her friends at first glance. Riko examines the water crafts and wonders which one belongs to her friend. She climbs the stairs to the dock and peers into the small building sitting at the end of the dock.

Riko pushes down disappointment when the building is empty as well. She turns back towards the street with a sigh. Where is everyone? A bus rolls down the street slowly, and Riko finds herself staring as it stops in front of their building. A few of her friends ride the bus into town, so Riko crosses her fingers as the door swings open. The doors hold for a moment, and then You makes her grand appearance. She hops off the bus swiftly, and the first thing Riko notices is how cute she looks today. She's donning a light blue tank top with black shorts, topped with her YOU hat. It's a simple outfit, but it works for You.

Riko glances down at her own choice of clothing, suddenly feeling self-conscious. She's wearing a pink short sleeved blouse with grey knee length shorts. She doesn't regret her choice, but You seems so cool in her outfit, very casual. She decides to let it go for now and focuses on her friend.

"Good morning Riko!" You shouts and leaps across the street in a few huge strides.

Riko can't help but to mirror her enthusiasm, "Good morning!" She waits a moment as You skips up the steps two at a time to join her.

"Thanks for coming out!" You isn't even out of breath from her dash up the stairs, which Riko is slightly jealous about. "It's perfect weather for it huh?"

"It definitely is," The sky is completely clear, and the weather forecast gave the day a 5% chance of rain. Riko doesn't know much about sailing but she guessed these were ideal conditions when she heard them on the radio.

You glances past Riko into the building, "No one else huh?"

Riko shrugs, "I'm expecting Chika, but you know how she can be with timeliness." She shifts her gaze down the road, almost expecting her orange haired friend to appear on the horizon.

"Chika didn't tell you huh?" You turns so she can lean against the dock building, "She texted me this morning that she won't be able to make it." You crosses her arms and pushes her lips into a small smile. "It's worth waiting a bit right? To see if a few more people show up."

"Sure, why not?" Riko doesn't mind waiting a few minutes, and the two fall into silence. Riko listens to the breeze as it blows past them, and she turns to mimic You's position against the wall. Her friend closes her eyes serenely, and Riko wonders what she's thinking about. Her eyes drift from her eyes to her nose, and then down to her lips. Riko snaps her gaze away a split second later, her ears burning in embarrassment. She decides to close her eyes as well, pressing her head against the wall firmly to hold it in place.

"Riko," You's voice gently brings her out of her daze. "I don't think anyone else is showing up."

Riko doesn't miss the twist of disappointment layered in her friend's voice. She opens her eyes and can see the same feeling written across her face. You's never been good at hiding her feelings. Her eyes are currently locked onto her hands, but after a moment she glances up, her bright blue eyes locking with Riko's. Her expression shifts into something Riko doesn't quite understand. "Thank you for coming." She smiles warmly, and Riko feels her heart skip a beat.

Then the moment is over, and You is dashing away and down the dock. "Let's go sailing then!" Riko follows slowly as You stops at a tiny boat at the end of the dock. You hops in and throws a lifejacket onto the dock, pulling one over her own head as well.

The boat looks like a brand new model, and it's much smaller than Riko was expecting. The main part of the craft looks like it can hold three or four people max, and it only has two currently furled sails, both tied to one large pole in the center. Riko doesn't want to sound like a skeptic, but are two sails really enough

You doesn't seem to notice her skepticism. "It might be for the best that no one's here, 'cause now we can sail!"

Riko likes the idea of getting to see the boat in action, "That does sound fun." She picks her appointed life jacket off the deck, carefully pulling it over her neck and securing the clasp. "Have you navigated small boats like this a lot?"

You nods proudly, "Yup! My dad taught me how to sail on a much larger ship than this, but now I have the S.S. Yousoro to call my own." You plays with the rim of her hat, "I know it's kind of a silly name."

Riko agrees, but she wants to support her friend. "I think it's a very nice name." She walks to the edge of the dock and is now faced with her first challenge, boarding the boat. "Uh…"

You's eyes snap over and it only takes her a moment to analyze Riko's position. "Oh! Hold on." You scoots over and reaches up without hesitating. "Here." Her palm is flat, and when Riko places her own hand against it You supports her firmly. Riko steps down nervously, but as she wobbles You raises her other hand to support her at her waist. "Gotcha." Riko finally places her foot down inside the boat, and she quickly finishes stepping down. You's fingers burn at her waist, and she's grateful when the shorter teen releases her.

"Thank you."

You brushes her off with a shake of her head, "Don't worry about it!" You reaches past Riko to where the boat is tied to the dock and unties it from the wooden post. "I thought we'd go to Awashima. We might be able to find a few of our friends lurking there." You winks, and Riko guesses she's referring to Kanan and Mari. There are small benches carved into the walls of the boat, and You motions for Riko to sit down. "Before we go, I want to talk about boat safety. I'd feel really bad if you got hurt out here."

"First…" You takes one step to the center of the boat, her right hand coming up to tap against a large horizontal pole. "…This is the boom. It controls the sail, which in turn controls which way we'll go." A long rope dangles off the back of the boom, and You starts to wrap it around her hand as she continues. "It's always a good practice to keep your head down on a sail boat, but when I pull on this rope it'll be especially important. I've been hit with this thing before and it isn't very pleasant."

Riko watches diligently as You tugs on the rope a few times to pull the boom back and forth. "I'll make sure to stay seated."

You nods, "Good! That's really the only thing you need to know for now." You pauses for a moment and tugs her hat off her head. She turns it backwards and settles it back onto her head with a satisfied grin. "I won't lose it this way." Riko thinks the hat looks even cuter like this, but she doesn't dare to comment as You turns her attention back to the boat.

With that settled, she scoots back towards the dock and pushes against it with as much strength as she can muster. The boat floats away from the dock, and once they're a few feet away You unfurls the sails and the sailboat jumps to life. Riko watches in amazement as wind fills the sail and they start to glide smoothly across the water. It reminds her of rocks skipping over water.

She finds herself entranced as You busies herself with tasks on the boat. One minute she's swinging the boom here and there, and then the next she's fiddling with some device at the front of the boat. Riko's a bit curious about what she's up to, but she feels a sense of ease watching You work. Her toned muscles are apparent with every tug of the boom, though Riko does look away sheepishly when You catches her staring.

"Do you wanna try?"

The question throws Riko off guard, "What?"

You plops down next to her for a moment and grabs a towel from a bin on the floor, "Do you wanna try?" She wipes her face clean of sweat and hesitates for a moment before continuing, "Cuz well… You've been watching so intently, I thought you might want to give it a go."

Riko chuckles nervously. "I was just…" she stops herself. It might be bad to admit she liked watching You do it. "Sure, I'd love to try."

"Alright!" You hops to her feet, and Riko follows slowly. "So we need to turn towards Awashima," You unravels the boom rope except for a small bit on the end and holds it out for Riko. "I'll stay down here, but you can tug the boom across the boat!"

Riko swallows deeply. There's no way she's going to be able to do this as gracefully as You did. She takes both the rope and a cautious step to where You always stood when she did this. She turns to face the front of the boat and raises her arms. "Now?"

You slides behind her and crouches down, "Yup, go ahead."

Riko pulls with all her might, and only at the last minute remembers to duck her head as the boom slides past. It settles on the right side of the boat, and Riko can't help but feel relieved.

"That was great!" You pats her on the back enthusiastically, "You're a natural born sailor!"

Riko glances over her shoulder at her beaming friend, and not for the first time she's grateful to Chika for bringing them together. Without her she never would have become friends with the rest of Aqours, and she would never be here with You. Gratitude swells in her chest at the thought. Riko realizes she's still staring directly at You, so she turns back and awkwardly drops into her seat. "I think I still need a bit more practice."

You laughs at the comment. "Sure, but it was a great first effort!" You's eyes flick upward, "and we're almost there! Land ahoy!"

* * *

Lo and behold, Kanan is on the docks of Awashima. She seems surprised when they pull up next to her. Her surprise quickly shifts into something unreadable.

"Nice boat!" Kanan inspects it, and Riko figures the third year probably knows a lot more about boats than she does.

"Thanks." You's response drips with sarcasm, but Kanan opts to ignore her underclassmen's sass.

"So, you guys are on a date?"

"No?!" Riko splutters instinctively, then realizes too late that it might sound bad to You. She glances over, but her fellow second year doesn't seem too bothered by the assumption.

"I actually invited everyone you know." You crosses her arms, "Riko was the only one who had the good graces to show up."

Kanan's gaze shifts from You to Riko, her eyebrows crinkling together. "Wait…I thought it was canceled?" Kanan reaches into her pocket and procures a small cell phone.

"Why would it be canceled?" Now You is confused too, and she leans over the edge of the boat in an effort to see what Kanan's looking for on her phone.

Kanan continues clicking for a moment. "I swear that Chika…" Kanan's fingers freeze over the buttons, and after a moment a knowing smile stretches across her face. "Nevermind, what're you two up to anyway?"

"I'm showing Riko the ways of the sea!" You sticks her tongue out childishly. "Maybe you'll get to see too if you bother showing up next time. Now lemme see what's on your phone!" You waves her left arm haphazardly towards Kanan, but the older teen holds the cell just out of her reach.

Kanan retorts back, but Riko stops paying attention. Her thoughts shift to Kanan's previous comment. Chika told Kanan the event was canceled? Chika also told Riko they'd meet You at 10 this morning, and then she didn't even bother showing up for that. Could this whole thing have been plotted by Chika?

Riko finally tunes back in as Kanan and You are finishing up their conversation.

"Anyway, I need to get back to my chores," Kanan steps away from them slowly. "I hope you two have a good afternoon."

You salutes and turns towards her friend, "Should we sail back?"

Riko nods, but her heart isn't in it. Chika surely set this up on purpose. She wanted You and Riko to be alone together but why? Well, Riko kind of knows the answer to that one; she's probably trying to set them up. She's quickly going from how could Chika do this to what's the easiest way to break into her house without running into Shiitake? Riko glances over at You who's once again busied herself with the sails. Riko's eyes bore into her knees, she needs to teach her friend a few things about tricking others. At least if she was going to set them up she could've told her first!

"Um… Riko?" Her thoughts are interrupted for what must be the one hundredth time that day, and when Riko glances up she can see the telltale signs of worry on her friend's face. You bites her bottom lip and wordlessly furls up the sails.

Riko glances to her left and right, but they're completely surrounded by water. "Why're we stopping?"

"I just…" You trails off, seeming to lose confidence. "You don't need to come again if you don't want to." You twines her fingers together and stares off into ocean. "To ride on the boat I mean."

Riko's heart plunges into her gut. You doesn't want to go sailing with her again? Does she not like spending time with her? "What?"

You grins sheepishly and looks down at her joined hands. "I mean, you didn't look like you were having fun. I don't wanna force you…" You's eyes snap up, and Riko's blown away by the intensity in her blue eyes. "If you don't like boating it's okay, I can take it." She holds Riko's gaze steadily, her lips pressed in a firm flat line.

Despite You being so serious, Riko relaxes at the confession, it's so much simpler than she was expecting. "That's not it at all! I like boating quite a bit!" Riko pauses and for a moment the two of them listen to the wind as it blows past them. When she finally speaks, her voice comes out so softly it almost can't be heard. "I'm sorry for giving you that impression, I was just distracted." Her expression softens. "I hope next time you'll let me steer for a bit again."

You beams broadly at her. "Absolutely! You'll be my first mate in no time!"

Riko grins back, "I'd like that."

* * *

I wanted a more romantic ending but I couldn't make it work and then flip convinced me to not put it in.

Someone being You's first mate is pretty romantic for her I guess.


End file.
